Smithsonian.com

The Peaceful Primates

Squirrel monkeys are becoming an important symbol for wildlife in
Costa Rica. They delight researchers who study them, and weighing
in at just one and a half pounds, with beautiful orange fur and
expressive faces, they are irresistible to tourists. Sue Boinski, a
professor of anthropology and comparative medicine at the
University of Florida, has spent the past 20 years observing
squirrel monkeys in Central and South America. Her research has
revealed that Costa Rica's squirrel monkeys are among the most
egalitarian and least aggressive primates in the world. She
describes them as the peaceful primate in the peaceable kingdom. "I
think they are like the tourists who love to come here to the
tropical beaches," she says with a smile. "They're just looking for
good food and sex."

But the
future of these winsome primates is in doubt. Their forest habitat
is being destroyed at an alarming rate by agribusiness, including
the raising of crops such as palm oil trees and bananas. The
tourist industry is also booming, resulting in new construction and
an increasing human population. The second-growth forest that
squirrel monkeys prefer for the plentiful soft fruits and insects
is rapidly disappearing. If we don't intervene soon to protect
Costa Rica's squirrel monkeys, Boinski warns, the survival of these
endearing primates cannot be assured.

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